Four times they watched their wives sleep
by Bladefanatic
Summary: Four times they watched their wives sleep, and once when she watched him. Multi-fandom. Australia-AU, Terminator Salvation, Smallville, A Walk to Remember, and Equilibrium.


Four times they watch their wives sleep and one where she watched him…

Emmett and Sarah Dutton _(Australia- AU)_

Emmett looked up from his book to find that Sarah had fallen asleep across from him. It had long been a practice for both of them to retire to the library after dinner and read together. It was a pleasant ritual that Emmett had come to look forward to. Over the years, it had been a time for them to really get to know one another and share in what had gone on during the day. Now it had become more of a quiet time between them.

Placing a marker in his book, Emmett stood to put a blanket around her. It had been a hard day for Sarah. She tried to hide it, but he knew that she had been thinking about Australia. Today was the anniversary of the bombing of Darwin, and he knew that her thoughts were turned (as they always were during this time) to Nullah as well as the Drover. She never mentioned the day that she lost both of them, but he knew how much she still grieved for them.

Sitting back down, Emmett let himself take in Sarah's features. He remembered seeing her through the telescope as she had stepped onto the dock at Darwin. Lady Sarah Ashley had taken his breath away. Seeing her features cast into the firelight, he acknowledged that she _still _took his breath away. Her beauty was more than just her outward appearance. Sarah was a force to be reckoned with, and was beautiful to behold when she took on society as a whole. He knew that he was damn lucky to have her for his wife. Gossips still talked about how she had never truly gotten over the Drover and how Emmett was the second choice. Emmett always wanted to tell them that they were wrong. He was, in fact, her fourth choice, thank you. After losing Drover, Sarah would have been very happy living at 'Far Away Downs' with Nullah. Then when she couldn't have Nullah, she would have been happy being "Missus Boss" at the cattle station. When all three choices had been taken from her, she had come back to England and over time let him persuade her to become Mrs. Dutton. There were times that Emmett let these facts bother him, but over their years together he chose to see the happy times they have had. He chose to remember her laughter as they played funny parlor games, the times that she threw her arms around him in an embrace when she was particularly happy about something and the joy that they both shared as they galloped across the countryside together. He was happy with that.

"I can almost see the wheels in your head turning." Sarah's quiet voice almost made Emmett jump. He had not noticed that she had woken. "Would you care to share?"

"I was just thinking about our happy times." Emmett said, and then came to his feet. "You, my dear, are in need of your bed." Walking over, he helped Sarah to her feet.

"Oh Emmett," Sarah linked her arm with his own and laid her head on his shoulder. "You always take such good care of me. What would I do without you?"

John and Kate Connor _(Terminator Salvation)_

It had been a hard labor. John had never been so terrified in his life, and that was saying something. Now he looked in awe at his sleeping wife, and their child. Several of his team had already come through to give congratulations. Everyone wanted to get in on the happy time. There were few such times. Moving closer, he kissed the top of Kate's head. She glowed. The baby moved and gave a tiny grunt.

"Hey," John whispered as he gently took the child from beside Kate. Big blue eyes stared up at him. "Mommy is sleeping, how about we let her?" Turning its head slightly, the child snuggled deeper into John's chest and went back to sleep. Finally giving in to what he had wanted to do since it all started. John Connor sat down and cried. He cried that his child would have to grow up in the horror of the times. He cried for the blessing of not only having a healthy child, but that Kate was safe as well. He cried that some of the hardest things were yet to come. He cried that he was a father, and his mother would never meet her grandchild. He cried silently while the two people most dear to him slept. In a few moments, John would be back to "John Connor, the chosen one" but for now he was John Connor, husband and father. For now, he cried.

Lex and Lana Luthor _(Smallville)_

He was drunk. It was a state that he was coming to be in more and more. Filling up his brandy, Lex weaved his way toward his desk. Punching in a few buttons, the screen came to life. Scanning through the camera feeds, he finally found the one he wanted. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the computer screen. Lana.

He knew it was sick to spy on his wife. Then again, he was a Luthor, maybe this type of crazy was just in his genes. Either way, he couldn't make himself stop. Watching her sleep was about as close as he was able to get to her these days. She would hardly let him kiss her good night, and he knew he was about as close to actually being able to stay the night as he was to being able to fly. She was beautiful, and in name at least she was his. Not Clark's, his. Yet deep down he knew that she wanted to be with Kent.

"I won't let you be with Kent!" Lex yelled as he came to his feet and hurled his brandy glass at the fire place. Breathing hard, he again looked at Lana on the computer. Reaching out, he traced her face on the screen. "You're mine."

Landon and Jamie Carter _(A Walk to Remember)_

Landon jerked awake as one of the monitors began to beep. Getting to his feet, he saw that it was Jamie's blood pressure that had set it off this time. Stepping aside for the nurse to do her thing, he leaned against the wall and watched. He hated seeing Jamie this way. Monitors, IVs and medicine pumps surrounded her. Soon these would all go away. He had signed the papers late last night to take Jamie home. Hospice was all set up and they would transport her to their home later today.

"Why don't you go get some food, Mr. Carter." The nurse didn't ask. The ICU had rules about when people could visit. They were concrete. Even if your wife was dying, you still had to leave during change of shift.

Leaning over, Landon brushed Jamie's hair away from her eyes and then kissed her forehead. "I'll be back in two hours, Jamie." The drug induced sleep didn't let her answer him, but he still felt better telling her what was going on. "Thanks, Amber." He acknowledged the nurse and then made his way out of the door.

hr

Landon jerked awake. This time no monitor was beeping. Rubbing his eyes he looked over to Jamie's bed. The hospice nurse was giving Jamie her dose of morphine.

"Didn't mean to wake you." The nurse said as she finished up.

"It's fine." Landon said as he stretched and then moved to take Jamie's hand. He really didn't want to be asleep anyway. He wanted to be with Jamie as much as he could. Looking down at her, he didn't see the dark shadows under her eyes. Or the weight she had lost. He saw his Jamie the way she was when he first took the time to really notice her. The night of the play. She would always be that beautiful angel to him. After that, their time together had been magical. Jamie made him want to be a better person. Landon blinked back the tears. He wasn't sure he was fully over being mad at God for taking Jamie from him. She had tried to help him make his peace the way she already had, but it was still an uphill battle for him.

Pulling the chair closer to her bed, Landon took Jamie's hand. It was hard to watch her breath getting slower and slower. The nurse said that it would be any day now, and he had done his best to say his goodbyes. Exactly how you said goodbye to the love of your life, he still wasn't sure. He'd done his best and was now determined to stick by her tell the end. He would watch her sleep.

Viviana and John Preston _(Equilibrium)_

He was magnificent. He was also completely terrifying. John Preston, Cleric. Viviana wasn't supposed to be feeling any of these things. She wasn't supposed to care one way or the other about her spouse. She was there to serve the purpose of raising children to be of help to Libria. She wasn't supposed to feel anything. Yet she did.

It all changed when she had her last child. Maybe she had needed to up her dose of Prozium, maybe the natural feeling of love for an offspring had finally broken through her shell of a body, or maybe she was just cursed to be a sense offender. Whatever was the cause, she was feeling. It had started with a need to keep both of her children close to her and she would worry that they were safe. Then she found that she was affected by the way her husband smelled. It was all very scary. She told herself to start taking her Prozium again. That it would be better for her children if she did so, but she couldn't make herself do it. The world had opened up, and she couldn't force herself back into the void of nothing.

It had been years of being careful. She had put on a mask for all to see. Only at night before John got home could she be herself. She could brush her children's hair away from their foreheads and squeeze their little hands. Now, though, the boy was too old for her to do this. He was being taught at school to turn in anyone thought to be feeling. He was being groomed to be like his father.

His father, he was her biggest problem. She loved John Preston. She found that she watched him as he slept. Wanting so badly to reach out and stroke his face. Lately she knew that he was suspecting something yet at the same time, he said nothing. Her foolish heart hoped that it was because he was feeling something for her too, but she knew it wasn't true. She knew that she was on borrowed time.

Her time was up. Watching the black clad figures storm their apartment, Viviana felt almost relief that she could finally be who she truly was. Looking into John's eyes, she grabbed his face and brought it down for a kiss. It was something that she had dreamed about doing.

"Remember me." She said as she was dragged away.

Viviana Preston was executed for being a sense offender a week later. She had not been allowed to see her children or husband, so never knew what she had sparked. Her children stopped taking their Prozium two days after she was arrested. It took her husband a little longer, but he too found the warmth of thoughts and feeling. She was remembered.


End file.
